A low-profile beam-scanning antenna array for 5G low-cost millimeter-wave applications

Abstract

A low-profile beam-scanning antenna array for cost-effective 5G millimeter-wave (mmWave) applications is proposed in this work. The array features a compact single-layer substrate structure while achieving a wide operating bandwidth covering the 5G n257 band (26.5–29.5 GHz). A novel antenna element is first designed and analyzed, employing a metallic rectangular patch with shorting pins as the radiator, excited through a modified coplanar waveguide (CPW) feeding structure. Based on this element, four-element and eight-element linear arrays are developed with an overall profile of only 0.07 λ at 28 GHz and fabricated to experimentally assess beam-scanning performance. To accurately characterize and validate the radiation behavior, an mmWave beam box system is utilized for pattern measurements. The results demonstrate that the fabricated arrays achieve an impedance bandwidth fully covering the 5G n257 band with VSWR < 2, while the measured beam-scanning performance closely agrees with simulations. These findings confirm that the proposed design and its extensions offer strong potential for practical integration into future 5G mmWave communication devices.